O. Selvafolta Biography
Ornella Selvafolta is a distinguished professional with a degree in architecture and currently holds the position of full professor at the Polytechnic of Milan, where she teaches History of Architecture. Furthermore, she is director of the History of Architecture II course and of the History of Architecture II Laboratory relating to the five-year degree in Building Engineer-Architect. Selvafolta is fortunate to be an important member of the teaching body of the doctorate in Conservation of Architectural Heritage at the Polytechnic of Milan. He also taught at the School of Specialization in Art History of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart of Milan and the University of Genoa.
Selvafolta's research activity and work focus on the history of technical design, architecture, applied arts, landscape and gardens ranging from the 18th to the 20th century. In particular, his research focuses on national and regional aspects related to these topics. Thanks to her scientific ability she was able to organize exhibitions, win participation in numerous conferences and publish original contributions of the highest value.
After having carried out much research on the architecture and monuments of 19th century Italian cemeteries, Selvafolta has established a particular relationship with the Monumental Cemetery of Milan, so much so that it has published a guide describing the history and art of this monument. The work, written together with Giovanna Ginex, is entitled “The Monumental Cemetery of Milan. Historical-artistic guide” (Milan, Silvana Editoriale, 1996) and has an edition in English, French and German.
In the three-year period 2005-2007, Selvafolta was responsible for the research unit of the Polytechnic of Milan, which was co-financed by the Ministry of University and Scientific Research. The title of the research was "Designing memory between the second half of the eighteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century". His work led to the publication of the volume “The Architecture of Memory in Italy 1750-1939. Cemeteries, monuments and cities”, edited by O. Selvafolta with M. Giuffrè, F. Mangone and S. Pace (Milan, Skira, 2007), which we wish to recommend for its excellence.
